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Call-out king Tyrone McKenna draws up a fresh hit list

Tyrone McKenna has added new qualifying criteria to his hit list.

The 6’1″ southpaw has never been afraid of calling out fighters and in recent years had  lists as long as his rangy frame.

Ohara Davies was always #1 and top of the pile, but names from far and wide were also jotted down.

‘The Mighty Celt’ wasn’t prejudiced and once he felt you could progress his career your name was at some point going to pass his lips.

However, following another impressive and somewhat high profile win the Belfast light welter revealed you now need to meet specific criteria to get on his famous hit list.

One of Irish boxing’s biggest entertainers now only wants to fight entertainers and is adamant if your not going to help him please the crowd or are in anyway a boring fighter, he won’t want to share the ring with you.

In what some might perceive as a dig sent the way of ‘Two Tanks’ Davies, McKenna said post his WBC ranking title win that come to fight merchants like Matchroom’s Lewis Ritson and European and British champion Robbie Davies Jr are now big red dots on his fight radar.

“I have always said I want exciting fighters not people who are negative and boring. I am interested in people like Lewis Ritson and Robbie Davies Jr people like that. I like them fights both exciting fighters,” said the 28-year-old.

McKenna was talking after being involved in yet another exciting battle. The Danny Vaughan-trained fighter won his third Belfast Dublin derby when he outpointed Darragh Foley at the Ulster Hall.

The eagerly anticipated clash was surprisingly more house fire than forest fire, but that is something McKenna’s team will be happy with.

The former child actor has been warned against going to war and encouraged to use his physical advantages as well as his skill set to win fights.

The brawl hungry crown pleaser doesn’t always follow orders, but claims Friday proved a best of both worlds scenario.

“It was a good fight for me. I am happy with the performance. I think it gave the fans a bit of a war and a bit of boxing. It kept the fans happy and kept my coach happy,” he added.

McKenna also had praise for Australia-based Dubliner Foley, admitting the ever-game ‘Super’ was a constant threat.

“I was in a fight. Jesus, he is tough. I have cuts and bruises, but it makes it all better.” 

“He kept on coming. He caught me with some lovely backhands and hooks and he hurt me with a body shot in the second. Apart from the second I think I handled him well. I stuck to my boxing and stuck to the game plan.”

“I didn’t get involved in the war I really wanted to get involved in. I caught him with nice shots as he was coming in and spun off.”

 

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Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

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